CHAPTER - I: POLICY
PREAMBLE:
1.1
Compulsory acquisition of land for public purpose including
infrastructure projects displaces people, forcing them to
give up their home, assets and means of livelihood. Apart
from depriving them of their lands, livelihoods and
resource-base, displacement has other traumatic
psychological and socio-cultural consequences. The
Government of India recognizes the need to minimize large
scale displacement to the extent possible and, where
displacement is inevitable, the need to handle with utmost
care and forethought issues relating to Resettlement and
Rehabilitation of Project Affected Families. Such an
approach is especially necessary in respect of tribals,
small & marginal farmers and women.
1.2 The
system of extending cash compensation does not, by itself,
in most cases, enable the affected families to obtain
cultivable agricultural land, homestead and other resources
which they have to surrender to the State. The difficulties
are more acute for persons who are critically dependent on
the acquired assets for their subsistence/ livelihoods, such
as landless agricultural workers, forest dwellers, tenants
and artisans, as their distress and destitution is more
severe, and, yet they are not eligible for cash
compensation.
1.3
Some States and Central Ministries/Departments have their
own Policies and Guidelines for Resettlement and
Rehabilitation. However, a National Policy on Resettlement
and Rehabilitation of Project Affected Families (PAFs) has
not so far been enunciated. This Document aims at laying
down basic norms and packages in the shape of a Policy which
would, henceforth be referred to as the National Policy on
the Resettlement and Rehabilitation of Project Affected
Families - 2003 (NPRR-2003).
1.4 The
Policy essentially addresses the need to provide succour to
the assetless rural poor, support the rehabilitation efforts
of the resource poor sections, namely, small and marginal
farmers, SCs/STs and women who have been displaced. Besides,
it seeks to provide a broad canvas for an effective dialogue
between the Project Affected Families and the Administration
for Resettlement & Rehabilitation. Such a dialogue is
expected to enable timely completion of projects with a
sense of definiteness as regards costs and adequate
attention to the needs of the displaced persons especially
the resource poor sections. The intention is to impart
greater flexibility for interaction and negotiation so that
the resultant Package gains all-round acceptability in the
shape of a workable instrument providing satisfaction to all
stakeholders/ Requiring Bodies.
1.5 The
National Policy on the Resettlement and Rehabilitation of
Project Affected Families will be in the form of broad
guidelines and executive instructions for guidance of all
concerned and will be applicable to Projects displacing 500
families or more enmasse in plain areas and 250 families
enmasse in hilly areas, Desert Development Programme (DDP)
blocks, areas mentioned in Schedule V and Schedule VI of
the Constitution of India. It is expected that the
appropriate Government and Administrator for R&R shall
implement this Policy in letter and spirit in order to
ensure that the benefits envisaged under the Policy reaches
the Project Affected Families, especially resource poor
sections including SCs/STs.
1.6 The
rehabilitation grants and other monetary benefits proposed
in the Policy would be minimum and applicable to all project
affected families whether belonging to BPL or non-BPL
families. States where R&R packages are higher than
proposed in the Policy are free to adopt their own packages.
CHAPTER – II
2.
OBJECTIVES OF THE POLICY
2.1 The
objectives of the Policy are as follows:‑
a)
To minimize displacement and to identify
non-displacing or least-displacing alternatives;
b)
To plan the resettlement and rehabilitation of
Project Affected Families, (PAFs) including special needs of
Tribals and vulnerable sections;
c)
To provide better standard of living to PAFs; and
d)
To facilitate harmonious relationship between the
Requiring Body and PAFs through mutual cooperation.
CHAPTER - III
3.
DEFINITIONS
3.1 The
Definition of various terms used in this Policy Document are
as follows:
(a)
“Administrator for Resettlement and Rehabilitation” means an
officer not below the rank of District Collector of the
State Government appointed by it for the purpose of
resettlement and rehabilitation of the Project Affected
Families of the Project concerned provided that if the
appropriate Government in respect of the project is the
Central Government, such appointment shall be made in
consultation with the Central Govt.
(b)
“affected zone”, in relation to a project, means declaration
under para 5.1 of this Policy by the appropriate Government
area of villages or locality under a project for which the
land is being acquired under Land Acquisition Act, 1894 or
any other Act in force or an area that comes under
submergence due to impounding of water in the reservoir of
the project;
(c)
“agricultural family” means a family whose primary mode of
livelihood is agriculture and includes family of owners as
well as sub-tenants of agricultural land, agricultural
labourers, occupiers of forest lands and of collectors of
minor forest produce;
(d)
“agricultural labourer” means a person normally resident in
the affected zone for a period of not less than three years
immediately before the declaration of the affected zone who
does not hold any land in the affected zone but who earns
his livelihood principally by manual labour on agricultural
land therein immediately before such declaration and who has
been deprived of his livelihood;
(e)
“agricultural land” includes lands used or capable of being
used for the purpose of-
(i)
agriculture or horticulture;
(ii)
dairy farming, poultry farming, pisciculture, breeding or
livestock and nursery growing medical herbs;
(iii)
raising of crops, grass or garden produce; and
(iv)
land used by an agriculturist for the grazing of cattle, but
does not include land used for the cutting of wood only;
(f)
“appropriate Government” means,-
(i) in
relation to acquisition of land for the purposes of the
Union, the Central Government;
(ii) in
relation to a project which is executed by Central
Government agency/Central Government undertaking or by any
other agency on the orders/directions of Central Government,
the Central Government, otherwise the State Government and
(iii) in
relation to acquisition of land for other purposes, the
State Government.
(g) ‘BPL
Family’: The Below Poverty Line Families shall be those as
defined by the Planning Commission of India from time to
time.
(h)
“Commissioner for Resettlement and Rehabilitation”, in
relation to a project, means the Commissioner for
Resettlement and Rehabilitation appointed by the State
Government not below the rank of Commissioner/Secretary of
that Government.
(i)
“Displaced family” means any tenure holder, tenant,
Government lessee or owner of other property, who on account
of acquisition of his land including plot in the abadi or
other property in the affected zone for the purpose of the
project, has been displaced from such land or other
property;
(j)
“family” means Project Affected Family consisting of such
persons, his or her spouse, minor sons, unmarried daughters,
minor brothers or unmarried sisters, father, mother and
other members residing with him and dependent on him for
their livelihood.
(k)
“holding” means the total land held by a person as an
occupant or tenant or as both;
(l)
“marginal farmer” means a cultivator with an unirrigated
land holding upto one hectare or irrigated land holding upto
half hectare;
(m)
“non-agricultural labourer” means a person who is not an
agricultural labourer but is normally residing in the
affected zone for a period of not less than three years
immediately before the declaration of the affected zone and
who does not hold any land under the affected zone but who
earns his livelihood principally by manual labour or as a
rural artisan immediately before such declaration and who
has been deprived of earning his livelihood principally by
manual labour or as such artisan in the affected zone;
(n)
“notification” means a notification published in the
Official Gazette;
(o)
“occupiers” means members of Scheduled Tribe community in
possession of forest land prior to 25th October, 1980;
(p)
“project” means a project displacing 500 families or more
enmasse in plain areas and 250 families or more enmasse in
hilly areas, DDP blocks, areas mentioned in Schedule V and
Schedule VI of the Constitution of India as a result of
acquisition of land for any project.
(q)
“project affected family” means a family/person whose place
of residence or other properties or source of livelihood are
substantially affected by the process of acquisition of land
for the project and who has been residing continuously for a
period of not less then three years preceding the date of
declaration of the affected zone or practicing any trade,
occupation or vocation continuously for a period of not less
than three years in the affected zone, preceding the date of
declaration of the affected zone.
(r)
“Resettlement zone”, in relation to a project, means the
declaration of any area under Para 5.12 of this Policy by
the appropriate Government acquired or proposed to be
acquired for resettlement and rehabilitation of Project
Affected Families as a resettlement zone ;
(s)
“Requiring Body” shall mean any company, a body corporate,
an institution, or any other organization for whom land is
to be acquired by the appropriate Government, and includes
the appropriate Government if the acquisition of land is for
such Government either for its own use or for subsequent
allotment of such land in public interest to a body
corporate, institution, or any other organization or to any
company under lease, license or through any other system of
transfer of land to such company, as the case may be.;
(t)
“small farmer” means a cultivator with an unirrigated land
holding up to two hectares or with an irrigated land holding
up to one hectare.
CHAPTER - IV
4.
APPOINTMENT OF ADMINISTRATOR AND COMMISSIONER FOR
RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION AND THEIR POWERS &
FUNCTIONS
4.1
Where the appropriate Government is satisfied that
acquisition of land for any project involves displacement of
500 families or more enmasse in plain areas and 250 families
or more enmasse in hilly areas, DDP blocks, areas mentioned
in Schedule V and Schedule VI of the Constitution of India
as a result of acquisition of land for any project, it
shall, by notification, appoint in respect of that project,
an officer not below the rank of District Collector of the
State Government to be the Administrator for R&R in respect
of that project.
Provided that if the appropriate Government in respect of
the project is the Central Government, such appointment
shall be made in consultation with the Central Government.
4.2 The
Administrator for Resettlement & Rehabilitation shall be
assisted by such officers and employees as the appropriate
Government may provide.
|